Vertical Life

Vertical Life is a climbing magazine in Australasia, available in both digital and print options. Here at Vertical Life we love climbing, be it beanied bouldering, clip-up sportclimbing, old-school daddy-tradding, big-wall suffering, alpine extremism, spandex-clad competition climbing, desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures buildering, the lot – if it involves monkey business we will cover it.

Vertical Life

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Brace YOURSELF

Read • THE ART OF CLIMBING

Watch • BROAD PEAK

Listen • THE ENORMOCAST: NATALIA GROSSMAN – THE TYRANNY OF EXPECTATIONS

LOOK OUT BELOW! • ROGUE WAVES AND SEA CLIFFS

Fraser GUST (THEY/THEM) • FRASER BEGAN BOULDERING OUTDOORS AT 17, USING COUCH CUSHIONS AS A CRASH PAD, BECAUSE THE CLIMBING GYMS WERE TOO HARD TO GET TO. THESE DAYS THEY’RE STILL RACKING UP BOULDERING FIRST ASCENTS, CHECKING OUT THE COMP SCENE AND EXPLORING HOW CLIMBING HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE INCLUSIVE OF ALL GENDERS.

SO YOU WANT TO CLIMB EVEREST? • ALLIE PEPPER’S EBOOK

RACKING UP VERTICAL MILEAGE IN OURAY, COLORADO • WE’RE MIXING UP OUR LOCAL LORE COLUMN IN HONOUR OF WINTER. LEWIS AND JAMES, TWO AUSSIE CLIMBING LEGENDS, TAKE US ON A TRIP TO OURAY WHERE THEY HONED THEIR ICE CLIMBING SKILLS. THEY GIVE US THE BETA ON THE ENORMOUS ICE PARK—HOW TO GET THERE, WHAT TO CLIMB, AND WHY YOU SHOULD STAY AT A TINY HORSE FARM.

SPASM IN THE CHASM • Like all good climbing photographers, Claire was prepared for dangling off the end of a rope, dragging heavy camera gear up the cliff and getting all up in her climber’s personal space. Next time she reckons she might plan ahead to factor in a sketchy traverse and high wind though…

LAND OF THE GIANTS • WHEN JACQUES SET HIMSELF THE BOLD CHALLENGE OF A NEW, FIENDISHLY DIFFICULT TRAD LINE IN NSW’S GARDENS OF STONE NATIONAL PARK, CLIMBING PHOTOGRAPHER JARED ANDERSON CAME ALONG TO DOCUMENT THE FINAL, SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT.

Beth Rodden • SHINING A LIGHT THROUGH THE CRACKS

FLAGGING EACH MOMENT: Sarah LARCOMBE

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ENDURANCE AND FATIGUE

GALLERY

SEA TO SUMMIT’S FRONTIER CAMP KITCHEN RANGE

FROM THE Field • SO iLL CATCH

FROM THE Field • PATAGONIA SUPER FREE ALPINE JACKET

NEW GEAR

WORLD CHAMPION AEROPRESS RECIPES • Did you know that there is an ice speed-climbing world championship? Two 12-15m vertical ice walls are constructed next to each other in a ‘duel format’ comp. The rules are simple…the fastest ice climber wins. Did you know there is also a world Aeropress championship? Much like ice climbing, the rules are simple… Whoever can brew the best cup of coffee using an AeroPress wins! Lucky for us, those winning recipes also get published to websites like worldaeropresschampionship.com and aeroprecipe.com – Have a peruse on your next rest day. To get you started, here’s a recipe from coffee guru Tim Wendelboe, founder of the World AeroPress Championships.

Ultralight Pad Thai

GET A FREE PASSAGE DINNERWARE SET (RRP $49.99) • WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW TO VERTICAL LIFE MAGAZINE*

Feeding The Rat • Poetry in a climbing magazine? Yep, we’re going there. As climbers we probably all feel some kind of sense that clawing our way up cliffs touches something primal deep inside us, a part of us that must be fed and nurtured so we can know our true selves and explore our potential… Or, you know, something like that. Luckily, VL’s first published poet, Roger, puts it in far more eloquent words than mine…